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Narbonne Catches Greenwood on Last Lap to Win 86th Loudon Classic

Tyngsboro, Mass. native Shane Narbonne made an inside pass on turn six of New Hampshire Motor Speedway's 12-turn road course on the final lap to win the 86th Annual Loudon Classic.

Narbonne, 19, passed Dunbarton NH's Scott Greenwood in the closing moments of the race to win his first Loudon Classic. The two riders dueled for the majority of the 20-lap race, steadily pulling away from Loudon, N.H. prodigy Christian Cronin.

"I knew I could do it at the end of the race," said Narbonne. "I knew if I passed Scotty too early he'd pass back. So I went with the flow and followed him to see where he was strong and where he wasn't. It's so hard to pass Scotty."

"I could hear him behind me," said Greenwood. "Late in the race he caught up. I was better on the brakes but he was better overall."

Narbonne was the pole sitter to start the Classic, and was expected to receive strong competition from Cronin and Winchendon, Mass.'s Jeff Wood. But when Wood was scratched from the race with a shoulder injury and Cronin was bumped out of position on the race's very first turn, Narbonne built a quick lead.

Greenwood passed the pole sitter for first place on lap four and led all the way to the last half-lap. The two battled for position, pulling away from the rest of the pack.

Cronin is the first Loudon resident to ever finish in the top three of the Loudon Classic.

"It's great," said Cronin of his finish. "I live across the street pretty much so it feels good."